Sign



Jan. 26, 1937.

W. R. TEN BROECK SIGN Fild May 18 1936 INVENTOR. zfizvec ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 26, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sign devices and is directed more particularly to an improved sign display so arranged that the indications thereon may be changed at will.

It is one of the principal objects of the invention to provide a sign device including a main support and variable indicating means removably associated therewith and according to the preferred form of the invention means is provided to hold the indicating means against accidental displacement.

As another object of the invention, the sign device is so formed as to be simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Its parts are of convenient shape and the device is compact so that economy and ease in shipping and packing is facilitated.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a sign device which may be readily attached to various articles of manufacture without damage thereto and in such a way as to readily indicate the desired information thereabout.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent after a reading of the following description and reference will be had therein to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the main support member of the device of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the assembled device of the invention;

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are all plan views each showing a group of one form of removable indicating means; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rear side of the assembled device shown in Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

A main supporting member 2 is provided and it is preferably formed of some relatively stiff and substantially flat sheet material, such as cardboard or the like. It may take various shapes but is provided with at least one pair of spaced slits, such as 4, which may be formed by merely cutting through the sheet 2.

It is desirable however that the slits 4 be formed more or less U-shaped sothat tab-like parts 5 are provided. These tabs 5 are normally in the same plane as the rest of the flat sheet 2 and preferably there are no scored lines extending between the arms of the Us.

It is one of the principal features of the invention that the flat-surfaced sheet material 2 is so stiff as to tend to remain in the same plane throughout its area. The slits 4 make is possible, of course, for the tabs 5 to be bent backwards or forwards or in some way out of the same plane with the rest of the body. That is to say, by the very nature of the material, the tab parts 5 are urged back into co-planar relation with the body of the support when released from an angular position relative thereto. This is all for a purpose which will presently appear.

According to the preferred form of the invention, another pair of U-shaped and spaced apart slits 6, similar to slits 4, are provided and these may extend substantially horizontally of the body as contrasted with the slits 4 which, as shown, extend vertically. The slits 6 may form tabs 7 similar in all important respects to tabs 5.

As above mentioned, the sign of this invention is of such a character that at least part of its informative matter may be readily changed at will, particularly such matter as prices of articles to which the signs may be attached. Accordingly I provide a plurality of longitudinally-extending card members 22 which may be of varied shape and. may be formed of the same material as the body 2. These members 22 may carry different indicia thereon such as numerals shown and are preferably straight-sided and of substantially equal width throughout their length.

The members 22 are adapted to have their main body parts disposed adjacent the front surface of the support with their opposite end parts extending through the slits 6. It will be noted that this causes the tabs 1 to move out of coplanar relation with the body of support 2 but since the construction is as stated above the tabs I tend to urge the end parts of members 22 up against the back surface of the support and thus hold them against displacement.

A plurality of other members 24, generally similar in shape to parts 22, may be provided and they may also be associated with the support 2 in the same manner as members 22. The parts 24 are, however, of less width than cards 22 and may also carry various indicia. In practice, I find it desirable to have dollar designations on the larger cards 22 and smaller figures on the smaller parts 24.

Also I find that it is desirable to have the cards 22 and 24 of substantially the same thickness and length. In this way they can be inserted in the slits 6 with their adjacent marginal and straight edges in abutment, as shown, so that a neat compact sign device is provided.

Longitudinally extending cards 26 (see Fig. 5) Which may carry still different indicia, may be Cir til

provided and these are arranged to lie adjacent the front of support 2 with opposite end portions extending through slits 4. Here the tabs 5 tend to assume a co-planar relation with the body of the support and serve to urge the end portions of the card 26 up against the back wall of the support.

According to the preferred form of the invention, an auxiliary member 8 of the same material as the body 2 is hinged on a line H] to the lower part of the body 2 as to be foldable upwardly to lie against the rear side of the body as shown in Fig. 6. Extending from the lower marginal edge of the flap 8 is a retainer tab I2.

Thus, when the cards 22 and/or 24 have been inserted in the slits 6, the member 8 may be folded upwardly to lie adjacent the back surfaces of their lower end parts and the tab 2 slipped under tab 1, all as clearly shown in Fig. 6. In this way, the indicia-bearing cards are still further retained in place.

It is another feature of this invention that the sign may be readily attached to articles on display. To this end, the support 2 may be provided with a slit M, which is preferably semi-circular as shown so as to provide a tab !6 which may be pushed downwardly along a scored line 58. This tab l6 may then have some attaching means associated therewith, such as a pin 20 shown; which may extend therethrough. In this way the sign may be easily attached to various articles such as dress-goods and the like.

It will be noted that the blank shown in Fig. 1 is substantially flat, as are the various indicating cards. Before assembly then, the various parts may be conveniently packed and shipped, which is of course an important advantage. This is because the cost of such devices to the stores and the like must be kept as low as possible and by virtue of the simplicity of my signs, their cost of manufacture is relatively low.

While I have described the invention in great detail and with respect to a preferred form thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto since many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A sign device of the class described, a support member formed of substantially flat and relatively stiff sheet material and having a pair of slits extending therethrough to form tab parts which may be pressed outwardly to be out of the plane of the rest of the sheet but tend to assume co-planar relation with the rest of the support member, and a removable indicating member having its main body part adjacent one side of the main body of the support and opposite end portions extending through said slits and urged against the opposite side of the support by said tab parts, said support member having a foldable member attached to its lower part forming a pocket with the support member for receiving one end portion of the indicating member.

2. A sign device of the class described, a support member formed of relatively stiff sheet material and having a pair of slits extending therethrough to form tab parts which may be pressed out of the plane of the sheet but tend to assume co-planar relation with the rest of the support member, a retaining member hinged to the lower marginal edge of the support member for folding upwardly adjacent one side thereof, and a removable indicating member having its main body part adjacent the opposite side of the main body of the support and opposite end portions extending through said slits and urged against the said one side of the support by said tab parts, the said retaining member being disposed outside one of the said end portions of the indicating member.

3. A sign device of the class described comprising, a support member of relatively stiif sheet material having a slit, an indicating member having its main body part adjacent one side of the sheet and an end portion extending through said slit and disposed against the other side of the sheet, and a retaining member attached to the support member and bent upwardly to form therewith a pocket for receiving said end portion of the indicating member.

4. A sign device of the class described comprising in combination, a support member of relatively stifl material having spaced slits forming tabs adapted to be pressed rearwardly out of the plane of the sheet, an indicating member having a main body part adjacent one side of the sheet and its ends extending through said slits and against the other side of the sheet, a retaining member at the rear side of the sheet forming a pocket therewith in which one end of the indicating member is received and means associated with the retaining member and one of said tabs whereby the retaining member is held in pocketforming position.

5. A sign device of the class described comprising in combination, a support member formed from relatively stiiT material having spaced slits therein forming tabs adapted to be pressed out of the plane of the sheet, an indicating member having a main body part against the front side of the sheet and end portions extending through said slits and disposed against the rear side of the sheet, a retaining member at the rear side of the support member overlying an end portion of the indicating member and hingedly connected to the support member, and engageable parts associated with said retaining member and one of said tabs whereby the said retaining member is held in retaining position.

6. A sign device of the class described comprising in combination, a support member formed from relatively stiif material having spaced slits therein and parts adjacent thereto adapted to be pressed out of the plane of the sheet, an indicating member having its main body part against one side of the support member with its end portions extending through said slits and against the other side of the member, a retaining member hinged to the support swingable between a position adjacent the support member where it co-operates therewith to form a pocket for receiving an end portion of the indicating member and a position away therefrom, and means for holding the retaining member in pocket forming position.

WESSEL R. TEN BROECK. 

